MILWAUKIE, Ore. -- The Lewis & Clark Pioneers took a 10-run lead and worked the game to finality in an 11-6 win over the Willamette Bearcats on Sunday at the Milwaukie Athletic Fields.

Andrew Yarak didn't allow his first hit until the sixth inning to win his second game of the season. He struck out four, gave up five hits and three earned runs over six innings. Sam Helms had four RBI including a home run, and Zack Kon brought in three runs.

The Pios had a 10-0 lead through 6 1/2 innings. Kon's seventh-inning sacrifice fly was Lewis & Clark's final tally of the game.

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Key Moments

A pair of singles by Michael Contreras and Jack Thomson sparked the Pioneers out of the gate quickly. The first of three errors by the Bearcats allowed Contreras to score, and Helms earned the first RBI of his day with another sac fly. 

In the third, Thomson was hit by a pitch, stole a base and advanced to third on Kon's single. Helms drew a walk, and Justin Katona and Sammy Benbow hit back-to-back RBI singles to grow Lewis & Clark's lead to 4-0.

Kon added an RBI double in the sixth. 

All the while, Yarak was steady. His no-hit bid was stopped when Michael Nelsen hit a leadoff double in the sixth. First-year pitchers Kris Wuelfing and Kevin Kane combined for three innings of relief and allowed just three hits and one earned run. Meanwhile, Willamette (3-4) used six pitchers including starter Matt Pisacane who was chased after 3 1/3 innings.

"It was great to see our guys come back with a better approach at the plate," Lewis & Clark head coach Matt Kosderka said. The day before, the Pios stranded seven runners against Whitworth. "We knew our guys were better than we had shown, so it was nice to see a solid day at the plate by a number of guys."

Deeper Look

• Katona had his first multi-hit game of the year, Thomson his second and Kon his third 
• Contreras, who was changed out of the lineup in the seventh, earned his third multi-hit game in a row and his fourth of the year; he is currently seventh in the Northwest Conference for batting average
• Thomson scored four runs, a career high for a single game
• Justin Bailey joined Thomson with a stolen base, while Contreras was caught stealing
• Justin Scanlon had the only multi-hit game for the Bearcats, and joined Eric Waldichuk with a triple in the game
• Henry Goodier played in his first collegiate game for the Pioneers
• Kon is top 10 in the NWC for season-to-date RBI (6)

Looking Ahead

Lewis & Clark (2-5) starts the Northwest Conference season next weekend at Pacific.